RAWALPINDI: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has said he will remain in office unless jailed PTI founder Imran Khan issues fresh instructions, making it clear that his political mandate, in his view, still comes directly from the former prime minister.
Speaking to the media in Rawalpindi, Afridi said Imran had already made his position clear: “If Sohail Afridi is chief minister, no power in the world can replace him.” He added that until a new message comes from the PTI founder, he would continue as chief minister.
The statement underlines just how tightly PTI’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government remains tied to Imran Khan’s decisions, even while he is behind bars. Afridi became KP chief minister after Ali Amin Gandapur stepped down following Imran’s directive, and PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja confirmed at the time that Afridi had been picked for the job by the party founder.
Afridi was elected KP chief minister on October 13, 2025, and took oath two days later. Since then, his government has repeatedly tried to secure access to Imran Khan at Adiala Jail, with Afridi saying he needed guidance on political and governance matters.
The latest remarks come amid continued friction between PTI’s provincial leadership and authorities over meetings with Imran. Dawn earlier reported that Afridi had left a protest site near Adiala Jail after failing to meet the incarcerated PTI chief.
Imran Khan has been imprisoned since August 2023 and was sentenced in January 2025 to 14 years in the Al-Qadir Trust case, a conviction he and PTI have rejected as politically motivated.
For now, Afridi’s message is simple: no change in KP unless Imran says so.
